Feelings Buried Within
by AngelofSnow
Summary: Mystique as Yuriko infiltrates Stryker’s office and reflects on her relationship with Magneto. MagnetoxMystique oneshot.


**Feelings Buried Within**

Title: Feelings Buried Within  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: set during X2  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Magneto/Mystique  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any money off of this.  
Word Count: 1,100  
Summary: Mystique as Yuriko infiltrates Stryker's office and reflects on her relationship with Magneto.

**Notes:** For the challenge "Mystique, delight, computer" on the livejournal community "Cruelly Handsome". Feel free to join the M/M love. **KumaDaPuma** wrote this before me. She got to the idea first and I salute her for it. But in a completely different vein… Since Kuma's forte is humor and my humor sort of falls flat (even in real life). Here's something angsty and serious.

**Feelings Buried Within**

Lady Deathstrike was a very powerful woman. She was compact but entirely made of muscle. Mystique enjoyed the way her steps were light yet forceful as the muscles of her assumed form lengthened and contracted with ease. Although Mystique was nothing of a fashion connoisseur, Yuriko's choice of stretch gray pant suit pleased her. It was comfortable and hampered her movements only slightly.

Mystique was pretending to be Lady Deathstrike to gain admittance into Stryker's office to view his computer files. _Stryker._ The name alone annoyed her. It sounded more like a curse than a surname. What a fool Stryker was! He was supposed to be an expert on controlling mutants, yet he should have known how simple it would be for her to sneak in here. Oh, well. It only made her job easier. And the quicker she got the information she needed, the quicker she could break Magneto out of prison.

Mystique swallowed a pang that hit her when she thought of Erik Lensherr. She made sure no emotion was revealed on her face. She had to act professional. She could not afford to give herself away when she was so close to her goal. She could not dare to let her emotions get the best of her. It bothered Mystique greatly to think of Erik trapped in that monochrome, plastic prison. She could easily imagine how such deplorable conditions could wear on his noble heart.

But as always Mystique buried her feelings for her leader inside of her. They were counterproductive to this mission and their main goal of mutant supremacy. She was sure Erik guessed the way she felt. It was hard to hide how deeply and frequently she thought of him. Harder still to work with him, side by side, and not give in to her longings. There were moments when she wanted to offer him comfort, to show him how greatly his efforts to help mutants were appreciated. She longed to show him what he meant to her. How much she respected and yes, even loved him.

But she couldn't. Magneto had no interest and no time for personal relationships. He was the picture of a leader: fearless, hardworking, determined, and righteous. But one who fulfilled that description had no time for love or companionship. Mystique knew from his every order and even his posture that he purposefully kept himself distant from her. She was witness to the way he resisted acknowledging the small slips she made; moments where her own strong emotions leaked out. Like that time she had tried on his black wool coat in his study. He must have guessed why the coat enthralled her but he never mentioned the incident again.

Mystique had learned long ago to hide her feelings for Erik deep inside her. Whenever they rose within her, she swallowed them back and made the pretense of continuing her work as usual. And Mystique certainly did a lot of work. She put all the energy and emotion she felt for Erik into her service for Magneto. She worked tirelessly on tasks he gave her and no one else showed him the loyalty and discipline she did. Mystique had spent months impersonating Henry Guyrich, Senator Kelly's aid in order to lure him into that helicopter. After Senator Kelly's death, without Magneto's guidance and help, she had taken over his senate seat despite having no education or training in politics. And she grew savvy at the machinations of Washington. She even won the defeat of the Mutant Registration Act.

Those months without Erik had been lonely. And the idea of him rotting in a plastic prison wore on her. She hardly ate; she did not sleep at night. Every night she went to bed and Erik was still in prison was another night she had failed him. Months went by and she found no lead on where he was being kept. Then the meeting with Stryker and the President! Finally she had her break.

So now she was morphed into the spitting image of Yuriko, Lady Deathstrike, and infiltrating Stryker's offices. She found her way to Stryker's desk, following the name placards on the doors. Stryker's computer was encrypted with the latest in government security, which meant Mystique knew just how to bypass it as the same system was used in Senator Kelly's office. She had only to impersonate Stryker's voice and she gained access. Within seconds the images and files of all the mutants known to Stryker popped up.

Her yellow eyes flashed wide as her eyes found the name 'Erik Lensherr' in the list. With one click Erik's picture was before her. He looked thinner and slightly older suggesting captivity had been hard on him. Yet just to see him made Mystique's heart thrill with delight. There he was. He was alive and dressed in a white prison uniform. She let a smile slip across her lips. Stryker's files were pay dirt. He had not only the location of Magneto's prison but the layout, plans, and security measures. Mystique learned they used a method of genetic testing to make sure the guards weren't impersonators. She would not be able to do this job herself.

Her heart momentarily dropped until she saw the file labeled 'Approved Security Guards'. There were the files of all the men who served in Erik's cell block. All she had to do was pick her target. Again her heart leaped with delight. She would get metal to Erik through one of these men. _Hmm, which man to seduce?_ Mitchell Laurio looked promising. Single, known drinking habits, but he had a roommate. No matter, she didn't need a bed to do what she did best. She knew other places to take advantage of a human. She clicked and downloaded all the relevant information she had found.

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**KumaDaPuma**'s great story: **The Difference Between Magneto and Erik** inspired the coat reference. I just love that story and specifically Mystique trying on Erik's coat. So it's included again with love and affection.


End file.
